“This Is Real?”: Former UFC Title Challenger Reacts in Shock as ‘$150K’ Fight Purses of Bellator Stars Are Disclosed

Former UFC title challenger left in shock after salaries of the biggest Bellator stars are revealed following Bellator 286.

The payouts at the recent Bellator 286 event have left former UFC welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns shocked. In a recent report revealed by MMA Fighting, the payouts of the recently held Bellator event were revealed with some shocking numbers.

Top fight purses at #Bellator286, per CSAC:

– Patricio Pitbull: $150,000
– Adam Borics: $100,000
– A.J. McKee: $100,000
– Spike Carlyle: $50,000
– Jeremy Kennedy: $110,000
– Aaron Pico: $100,000
– Juan Archuleta: $100,000
– Enrique Barzola: $31,000

More coming to @MMAFighting.

— Shaheen Al-Shatti (@shaunalshatti) October 2, 2022

Some of the biggest stars fighting for the Bellator organizations were paid $150k or less. However, it is worth noting that while the biggest stars in the UFC make much more than this, the average pay at Bellator looked to be more that of the UFC.

Reacting to the same over Twitter, Gilbert Burns replied to the post and asked whether the numbers were real. ‘Durinho’ looked to be rather shocked at the payouts and said:

“This is real??”

Take a look Gilbert Burns’ tweet below:

This is real?? 🫣🤦🏾‍♂️ https://t.co/4M0EPCc0hB

— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) October 2, 2022

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Why is UFC criticized for fighter pay?

The UFC has often came under scrutiny for under-paying their fighters. For example, a new fighter at the UFC starts making as little as $10k for his fights. The fighter gets $10k to show up and an additional $10k to win. They slowly build their per fight purse from this.

UFC boss Dana White says fighter pay is right where it should be. 💸

Full story: https://t.co/WJPSyq5GaT pic.twitter.com/lFTb64v7ly

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 12, 2022

However, it is worth noting that these numbers are for the fighters who are barely just starting at the company. On the flipside, the biggest stars of the company like Conor McGregor, Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman and more earn multiple million dollars for their fights inside the octagon.

That said, it is safe to say that the fighter pay at the UFC depends on how a fighter is able to perform in the octagon and make his brand outside of it.

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